Hello and welcome to Republic of Hate – Iran, Israel, and Anti-Semitism, in which we explore Iran’s hatred of Israel, Jews, and the West. These are essays by Dr. Mark Silinsky, president of Kensington Security Consulting, which brings education to the field of national security. And now to podcast two, which continues with an overview of Iranian anti-Semitism. Jews were a primary religious target. The treatment of Jews in Iran was inconsistent for centuries. But, until the 1980s, Iranian Jews were part of the national culture and made significant contributions to the country's economic, cultural, and political development. This changed after 1979. Anti-Semitism, which had long been dormant, resurfaced. Jews who could not emigrate often faced harassment from young Guards. Anti-Semitic slurs that would have been dismissed as ignorant and low-class during the Shah's time became widespread under the mullahs. Old myths, like blood libel, were revived as facts. Zoroastrians also grew fearful. The Zoroastrian religion is named after its founder, the prophet Zarathustra, also known as Zoroaster, who preached sometime between 1800 and 1000 B.C.E. Iranians of all faiths celebrate Zoroastrian traditions and festivals. But after the revolution, Iranian leaders condemned Zoroastrians as "sinful animals who roam the earth and engage in corruption.” Revolutionary Guard commanders ordered Zoroastrians to carry out suicidal missions against Iraq. In solidarity, some free spirits who are not Zoroastrian dance at the Fire Festival, with social protest and the risk of being beaten by the Guards. In his first public statements, Ayatollah Khomeini promised that Iran's 75,000 Jews would be respected and protected. The revolution alarmed the Shah’s associates and acquaintances, causing many to flee to the United States, Europe, and Israel. Desperate and nearly destitute liberals, civil servants, Jews, and Baha'i formed a caravan of emigrants. The exodus expanded significantly in the early 1980s. Refugees reported that Islamic committees in Iran have taken control of Jewish schools, abolished Hebrew instruction, violently tried to force young Jews to convert to Islam, confiscated Jewish property, banned Jews from official positions, and routinely arrested, beat, and tortured Jews, using repeated imprisonments to extort money from them. The Trial and Death of an Everyday Woman Alongside the high-profile executions of prominent Jews mentioned in chapter two, ordinary Iranian authorities harassed, imprisoned, and murdered Jews from the middle and working classes. One case involved Nosrat Goel (Koel) Tali’i, a Jewish resident of Shiraz who worked at a women’s hair salon. She was married with four children and was expecting her fifth when she was arrested. According to her family, Mrs. Goel Tali’i has “spent all her life laboring hard to help her family make ends meet.” Mrs. Goel Tali’i’s case was linked to sexual and drug offenses in 1979 in Shiraz. Determined to highlight this trial, the commander of the Shiraz IRGC unit recruited Ayatollah Khalkhali. The commander allegedly wrote, ‘No one has been given a revolutionary execution in Shiraz, and this is a disgrace in Shiraz.” Her trial, sentence, and execution all took place within a single day. According to witnesses, no evidence was presented against her. However, a guard told Khalkhali that she used her hair salon as a base and recruitment center for prostitutes. This satisfied the judge, who declared her guilty of sin and sentenced her to death. She and 13 other prisoners were executed by firing squad on July 3, 1980, and their killings were publicized in the Iranian media. The Islamic Republic executed hundreds of Jews in the early years after the revolution, including a 13-year-old boy who wrote to relatives in Israel. Vienna served as a gateway for Iranian Jews heading to Israel, the United States, and other destinations. Austria's controversial President Kurt Waldheim helped improve his image. The exodus of Iranian Jews began weeks before Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned in 1979. During that time, El Al Israel Airlines 747 jets transported thousands of Jews, including many wealthy businesspeople, from Tehran's Mehrabad Airport to Israel. However, especially after the American Embassy was seized in November 1979, grassroots Islamic committees and the Revolutionary Guards started harassing Jews in Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Hamadan, and Kashan. A Traumatic Event Debriefing refugees arriving at waystations detailed the depravity of the Islamic Republic, which took control of Jewish schools and ended Hebrew instruction. They dismissed Jews from civil service and official roles, removed them from the streets, and imprisoned them on false or vague charges. They extorted money, violently forced young Jews to convert to Islam, and confiscated Jewish property. Bruce T. Leimsidor, director of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society in Vienna, estimated that about two-thirds of the recent refugees had been tortured or otherwise physically mistreated in Iran. Living and Leaving “Roses and jasmine require fertile ground, gentle breezes, and peace to grow. The same is true for our children.” Sima Goel In modern times, smuggling has sometimes been vital for Jewish survival. In German-controlled ghettos, food and medicine were scarce. To prevent starvation, smugglers brought supplies from outside the walls. After a pogrom in 1941 in Iraq called the Farhud, surviving Jews were smuggled into Palestine. By 1979, Iranian Jews depended on smugglers to escape from an Iran they could no longer endure. The only way out was on foot through the desert to Pakistan at night. Many dangers awaited—especially if Goel encountered Afghans crossing into Iran to support the government. “They could have executed me, raped me, and taken me back to Iran as a trophy,” she said. “But by the grace of God, I survived.” She reached Pakistan, endured harsh conditions, and finally made it to Canada at 18 years old. “I felt like a bird that was out of the cage and could soar. It was wonderful.” When I was losing my mind, when fear challenged me and showed its terrifying face, I surrendered to the prayer my mother used during tough times. I learned it by watching her, so in moments of terror, the prayer came to my lips and kept me from going insane. That made all the difference. The tumultuous revolution and Ayatollah Khomeini’s rise to power prompted many Iranian Jews to flee their homeland, which they had known as Jews for over 2,500 years, for religious and political reasons. They primarily migrated to the United States, but some also moved to Europe and Israel. Most chose Los Angeles, and according to the 2010 U.S. census, twenty-six percent of Beverly Hills' population was Iranian Jewish. Their influence was clear when they helped Iranian Jewish immigrant Jimmy Delshad become mayor of Beverly Hills in 2007. At the time of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran’s Jewish population was estimated at 80,000, making it the second-largest in the Middle East after Israel, though it had declined from between 100,000 and 150,000 during the latter half of the twentieth century. Iran’s current Jewish population is about 8,000. Iran’s Jewish Golden Era shined brightly but was brief. Most Jews, like their Iranian peers, faced poverty. As second-class citizens, they paid special taxes, wore stigmatizing clothing, were limited to certain, often menial jobs, and mostly interacted within their communities. Shortly after the revolution, Richard Falk praised its promise of “humane” governance. While some things improved for a few, many others worsened, especially for Jews and other non-Muslims. Not all Jews left, but most sought to emigrate. Some departed before the revolution, taking some belongings, while others left with little more than hope. Yet, all Jews who moved to the West never truly left Iran behind. Simin Bakhtiar, reflecting on her new life abroad, wistfully recalled Iran, saying, “The jasmine elsewhere does not smell as sweet.” This concludes this episode of Republic of Hate – Iran, Israel, and Anti-Semitism. We look forward to reading your comments. Dr. Silinsky’s latest book, Cauldron of Terror – Israel, Hamas, and the World, will be available for purchase in summer 2026. Nothing in this podcast or any of Dr. Silinsky’s other podcasts reflects the official position of the United States Department of War, the United States Intelligence Community, or any other U.S. government agency. On behalf of Kensington Security Consulting, thank you for listening, and goodbye until our next podcast.
